


What's A God To a Nonbeliever

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Drabble, Fake AH Crew, Immortal Fake AH Crew, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Multi, Trans Character, trans fem Jack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:56:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5781478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s an old legend. It started when a child saw something they shouldn’t have, and their imagination took it from there.</p><p>The simple story blossomed into some epic legend of the Gods who walked among them. Of the one with the fire hands; of the one who made the earth grow when he walked; of the one who stole life; of the one who gave life; of the one who controlled the waves and the one who ruled the sky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Old Legends

**Author's Note:**

> Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii have no excuse  
> last night I just had a really cool idea about what if the FAHC were gods of some kinds, and I was just thinking about it, and now I wrote it to see if it was a good idea
> 
> well I like it

There’s an old legend. It started when a child saw something they shouldn’t have, and their imagination took it from there. 

The simple story blossomed into some epic legend of the Gods who walked among them. Of the one with the fire hands; of the one who made the earth grow when he walked; of the one who stole life; of the one who  _ gave _ life; of the one who controlled the waves and the one who ruled the sky. 

The Six were rarely without the others, and shrines held six individual offerings. People grew attached to the idea of the Achieve and prayed to them at different times of the year in the hopes that these Gods will be kind to them. It usually depended on who was listening. 

 

The Goddess of the Earth watched as a young man approached their temple. The man kneeled in front of her small shrine and placed a feather on the small podium in front of a mosaic depiction of a thunderous man in front of a darkened sky. 

The Goddess always hated that old, out-dated depiction of herself.

The young man curled up slightly and began his prayer. It was predictable and the Goddess had heard the same prayer dozens of times in the last few centuries they were worshiped. 

“But  _ please _ , I beg of you-” 

The Goddess decided that the young man was genuine and she stepped forwards, letting the lights of the candles bathe her in a soft light. She stood until the young man’s eyes snapped upwards and he froze. The Goddess reached out and gently touched the man’s face. His eyes closed and he looked at peace. The same kind of peace one would have on their face watching a clear blue sky in the middle of the summer months. 

“We will do all in our power to help you. That I can promise.” The Goddess spoke as softly as the clouds. The man let out a small sigh and stood. 

“Thank you, Goddess.” The young man whispered, his eyes still closed in bliss and her hand still resting on his cheek. 

“Now return to your family. You have done all you can.” The Goddess said, finally retracting her hand. The small glow seemed to dim ever so slightly and the young man finally left. 

The God finally stepped out the shadows and stood by the Goddess as she picked up her offering, examining it. It was a pristine feather. It must have been from a very well loved Bird of Prey and the Goddess attached it to the chain around her neck. 

“You’re always so beautiful when you’re blue.” The God said, turning to the Goddess and smiling his slightly crooked smile at her. 

“And you’ve always been too soft for your own good.” The Goddess returned. 

“Eh. It’s in my nature.” The God said, shrugging simply. The candles cast a light over the intricate designs that vined up his arms and changed as he moved. 

“I know.” The Goddess turned to look at her mosaic again. She really needed to have them update her image. 

“Come on, the others are waiting.” 

 

The centuries came and went and the Achieve faded from consciousness. 

But the Gods themselves did not. 

They decided to settle in a coastal town and watched it grow into a metropolis around them. People scoffed at how easily that town stayed plentiful, how the droughts never seemed to affect that small patch of California. People never questioned the clear skies or the patch of lush surrounded by desert, or the fires that broke out. 

They never questioned the Death Toll.

And now?

Now the Achieve walked among them, day to day. They chose new names and settled down into civilian lives. The God of the Earth and the Goddess of the Sky shared an apartment together and none of them ever questioned it. Geoff and Jack were the first two Gods and no one ever suggested to separate them. 

Their child, the God of Life, fell together with the God of Fire and his brother in name, the God of Water, so Gavin, Michael and Ray all piled into one apartment but spent most days in Geoff and Jack’s apartment. Gavin and Michael liked to wear away the days riding around the town, burning rubber and living large - quite literally some days. Ray liked vantage points, or staying low by the ocean. 

There were some nights that were just spent with the Six by the bonfire made by Michael’s hands on the beach where Ray stared out over the water. Michael was always the spark and Gavin always the gasoline. Maybe that was why they fell together as easily as the Earth and the Sky. 

The final God preferred to stay alone. Death himself liked to walk alone down the streets of Los Santos. Sometimes the God of Water would walk with him, to stave away the loneliness that seemed to follow them whenever they walked. They skirted around their words and emotions, knowing that eternity may just be enough time to come to terms. 

Death wandered the streets, never  _ picking _ a target, but never feeling sorry if someone was caught in the crosshairs, so to speak. 

Life was more Gavin’s schtick, anyway. Death was much more peaceful. 

Life was bursting with energy, feeling everything so  _ much _ . Life was never as calm as their mother, the Sky, nor as sturdy as their father, the Earth, but some strange mix between the two of them. Never one or the other. 

But Death was separate. 

Alone.

Invisible.

Death was an eerie feeling in the middle of the night on abandoned streets. Death was the deafening silence after a bullet made its mark in flesh. Death was an old or young hand slowly loosening from a loved one’s grip. Death was ringing in the ears after the lungs were full of anything but air. Death was always calm, it was everything immediately before and after that was violent. 

 

It was on one of Death’s walks when he felt it. 

DEath stopped dead on the street and waited. 

There is was again. That  _ feeling…  _ Some unfamiliar power that was as unique as it was massive. 

There was someone  _ powerful _ in play here. And Death smiled, his skull twisting menacingly. 

He followed the power, chasing it down like a predator. But the source of it pulled him up short. 

A young man, maybe mid twenties was walking down the street. He had a burlap drawstring bag slung across his back and a beard growing on his face. 

He looked too young to have that much power inside him, but Death knew that looks could easily deceive.  

Death followed the man down a few more streets until the young man turned down a side street and Death knew this was his chance. But as he turned down the side street, the man was stopped, facing Death. He knew he had been followed and was unafraid. 

“Whoever you are, I’ve got no problem with you buddy. So why don’t we just try and get this over with rationally and we can both go home winners, alright?” The young man said fairly. 

“You can see me?” Death asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Yeah, of course I can see you. You think I could miss someone wearing a skull mask down the streets? Like, that’s a bit weird, pal.” The young man said, still standing defiantly. Death noticed birds settling on the rooftops above them. Small insects gathered around the man’s feet, staying as far away from Death as they could. 

“Who are you?” Death asked, holding out his hand to the side. The young man’s eyes latched onto his hand and Death saw the man pale slightly when he realised his mistake. There was no flesh on Death’s hand. Death had no flesh being. 

“Oh  _ fuck _ .” The man looked as if he wanted to back away, to run in fear, but he stayed rooted. That impressed Death more than anything. 

“I’ll ask again. Who are you?” Death repeated, stuffing his hand back into his pocket. 

“Jeremy. I’m Jeremy.” He clutched the straps of the bag tightly, doing anything to keep his grip on his sanity. 

“You know what I am.” Death said. Jeremy just nodded solemnly. “So what are you?” 

“I’m- I’m not sure.” Jeremy admitted, taking a half-step back. The creatures around his feet moved with him and Death smiled. 

“I think you do know.” Death said. 

“I-” Jeremy faltered. He had never put it into words before. “I guess animals have always really liked me. They- they  _ listen _ to me and they know that I won’t hurt them.” 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Demigod of the Creatures.” Death said, standing up fully and fixing Jeremy with a serious look. 

“ _ Demigod _ ? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” 

“Well I’m sure there are some people who would like to see you right about now.” Death said, stepping to the side and gesturing for Jeremy to follow. 

Jeremy looked torn for a moment, but something in Death’s bones knew that he wouldn’t resist. He took a few steps and fell in line with Death as they walked. 

“Do I get to know your name, or should I just refer to you by your title?” Jeremy asked, looking at the God. 

“Ryan.” Death replied. “I chose to be Ryan.” 

“Ryan.” Jeremy repeated. “I would have thought you’d be a good James.” He joked, and Death suddenly felt validated in his instincts.

But a Demigod?

They hadn’t come across one of those in centuries. He forgot they could even exist anymore. Then again, who was he to talk?


	2. The New Guy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I- I have no idea where this is going but I'm going with it
> 
> this is going to be _way_ more Jeremy-focused because I feel like I don't write him enough tbh

“A new Demigod?! You’ve got to be shitting me right now!” Michael shouted, pacing the length of Geoff and Jack’s living room. “We haven’t had a new Demigod in centuries! Why is a new one turning up  _ now _ ?!”

“You think I know?!” Jeremy shouted back, looking small and uncomfortable on Geoff and Jack’s sofa. “You know what I was doing this morning? Running errands! And suddenly now I’m a Demigod?!”

“Would you both  _ shut it! _ ” Gavin joined the fray, his own raised voice cutting across the other two. “God! You’re both as bad as each other.”

“Okay, so how do we do this?” Jack mused, looking at Jeremy curiously. 

“Hey, kid,” Ray said, speaking up for the first time. “Who were your parents?”

Not for the first time, Jeremy looked uncomfortable and held his bag a bit closer to his body. 

“I never knew them.” Jeremy admitted. Geoff exchanged a look with Jack and Jeremy couldn’t decipher it, but his gut told him that it wasn't good. 

“And Rye, you’re sure about him?” Geoff clarified, looking up at the skull man. Ryan’s jaw twisted into his version of a smile and he nodded, the matt white of his bones looking just a little sickening to Jeremy now it actually hit him that  _ Ryan had no body _ . 

“He’s powerful. Whoever he belongs to, they gifted him with a lit of power.” Ryan said solemnly. 

“Whoa, hang on.” Jeremy interrupted. “Who I belong to? Like I’m some lost puppy?”

“Well, you’re a Demigod.” Michael said, as simply as if they were talking about the most mundane of matters. “Someone had to make you.” 

“ _ That’s _ a disgusting thought.” Jeremy said, mostly to himself. “So are there other Gods and Demigods running about or-?”

“There are a few others.” Jack said. Jeremy expected her to say a bit more but that was all Jack was going to offer him. 

Jeremy suddenly felt tired and he stood up, slinging his backpack over his chest. 

“Well, this has been great, but I really need to get going.” Jeremy said, beginning to walk towards the door. 

“I’ll give you a ride home.” Geoff said, following him out. 

The car Geoff lead him to was flashy and fast, and Jeremy sat awkwardly in the passenger seat. He held his bag tightly on his lap and stared out the window the whole time. Jeremy directed Geoff down the streets to his apartment building and Geoff stopped just outside of it. 

He was about to get out the car when Geoff held onto his arm for a second. 

“Hey, kid,” Geoff said, hesitantly. “I’m sorry if all this freaked you out. It’s just… We  _ never _ get new Demigods. Especially not ones like you?” 

“What do you mean, ones like me?” Jeremy asked, turning to look at Geoff. 

“Ones that come out of nowhere.” Geoff said, resting his head on the headrest. “Usually, they come from  _ somewhere _ . And then we can keep an eye out for them, but  _ you _ … We have no idea where you came from.” 

“I- I’m from Boston.” Jeremy said, hesitantly. Geoff laughed at that out of surprise and patted Jeremy’s shoulder. 

“We’ll keep an eye out for you, kid.” Geoff said, reaching into the glovebox and pulling out a small pad and pen. He wrote something down and tore out the paper, handing it to Jeremy. “Here, call this if anything else happens. And by anything, I mean if you need us for any reason.” 

“Thanks,” Jeremy said, taking the paper and tucking it in his pocket. He left the car and made the walk up to his building. Geoff didn’t drive away until Jeremy was through the door and Jeremy had a sudden feeling that he was see them all again and  _ soon _ . 

Matt was sat on their sofa when Jeremy opened the door and he turned around to look at him. Jeremy saw him quickly shut down the tab he had open as he took his bag off. 

“Hey, you’re home late.” Matt said, watching Jeremy put the contents of his bag on the kitchen table. 

“I got held up.” Jeremy said smoothly. A cockroach skittered towards him on the kitchen table and Jeremy gently stroked it for a few seconds. He walked out into the front room and pressed a small kiss to the top of Matt’s as he moved to sit beside him. 

“Everything okay? You seem a bit distracted.” Matt asked. Jeremy blinked as looked back at Matt and realised he’d been tapping the sofa cushion. 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a lot on my mind.” Jeremy said, glancing at Matt’s laptop screen. “What’re you looking at?” 

“Movie screenings. I figured we could use a date night.” Matt said, scrolling down the list of film screenings. 

“When were you thinking?” Jeremy asked, looking over the screening list. 

“This weekend? When we’re both off work.” Matt said, and Jeremy nodded solemnly. They were both quiet for a moment and Jeremy let his thumb gently stroke Matt’s shoulder. 

“That one looks pretty good.” Jeremy said, pointing at one film in particular. He looked over at Matt and frowned. “Or we could go to  _ another _ screening if you don’t like that one.” Matt blinked and met Jeremy’s gaze.

“What?” 

“You were glaring at the screen.” Jeremy explained. 

“No, that film’s fine.” Matt said. “Should I book it now?” Jeremy frowned at him again. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jeremy said. “You seem a little off.” 

“I told you, I’m fine.” Matt promised. Jeremy tilted his head and looked at Matt critically. 

“No you’re not. Something’s up.” Jeremy said, frowning further at the other man. “Come on man, I know you better than anyone. You can tell me what’s up.” 

Matt looked conflicted for a moment. He looked like he  _ desperately _ wanted to say what was on his mind, but he stopped himself. 

“I’ve just got a headache that's bothering me.” Matt said, looking at Jeremy’s apologetically. 

“Sure, if that’s all that’s wrong.” Jeremy said, giving Matt another chance to confess. 

“That’s all.”

“Okay, glad we settled that.” Jeremy said, looking at the clock in the corner of the laptop screen. “You wanna order some take out?” 

“Pizza or indian?” Matt asked, half-smiling as he pulled up the relevant websites. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this can only end badly tbh.........
> 
> ah well


	3. The Supposed Unforseen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say except that the chapters will probably be shorter and I have no idea how frequently I'll be uploading them so I'm sorry :/

Jeremy could tell that something was still bothering Matt, even when they were in the darkened cinema watching the movie a few days later. He wasn’t focused on the film and Matt had barely touched the snacks they bought in the hour they had been in their seats. To Jeremy, it seemed like he was… nervous? Like Matt was just waiting for something bad to happen. 

Jeremy leaned over and tapped Matt on the shoulder. 

“I’m going to go pee.” Jeremy whispered, being considerate of the few people around them. He couldn’t quite see Matt’s expression but he knew that it wasn’t a nice one. 

“You can’t hold it?” Matt whispered back. He sounded just a little strange and Jeremy frowned. 

“I’ll be back in a sec.” Jeremy promised. Almost as an afterthought, he quickly pecked Matt’s cheek before he stood up and walked along to the stairs as inconspicuously as he could. 

The lobby looked just as busy as normal as Jeremy walked to the bathroom but he felt an increasing sense of dread creep up on him. No one was in the bathroom when he pushed open the door, but a spider in the corner seemed to perk up as Jeremy entered. 

Jeremy didn’t really hear the door open, and he didn’t register the figure creeping up on him until he felt the nozzle of a gun press against the middle of his back. 

“You know, this  _ really _ isn’t a good time.” Jeremy said, well aware of the fact he was mid-pee and someone was holding a gun to him. 

“We know what you are.” The person said. 

“Well right now, I’m taking a piss, like I just said.” Jeremy reiterated, forcing himself to keep calm. 

“Don’t play dumb with us, Demigod.” The figure almost accused. 

“Demigod? I’m flattered, but I’m just a delivery guy.” Jeremy said, zipping up his jeans. He almost wished he was at the sinks so he could see who was behind him. 

“Not to us.” 

The sound of something blunt hitting the back of the figure’s head startled Jeremy and he jumped away, turning to see Matt standing over the person who had held the gun to Jeremy’s back. Matt looked like he was breathing heavily and that he might throw up any second. 

“ _ I  _ knew  _ something bad was going to happen _ .” Matt muttered, and Jeremy wasn’t even sure he heard it correctly. 

“Matt, how the fuck did you know something was going to happen?” Jeremy asked, secretly impressed (not that he would tell Matt that at this moment in time). 

“I- I don’t know. I just did.” Matt admitted, looking down at the man who he had knocked out. Jeremy still didn’t know how he could have done that with no visible weapon. He walked over to Matt and put his hand on the other’s arm. 

It was a quiet gesture but it was comforting, so Matt took it and just focused on Jeremy.  

Neither of them noticed the other two people enter until one of them was already crouched by the man on the floor. 

“Bugger off, Ryan, I’ve got this one.” Gavin said, surprising both Matt and Jeremy. Ryan’s skull twisted in a frown but he stood up and backed away, letting Gavin do whatever he was going to. 

Ryan looked up at Jeremy as Gavin knelt by the man. Matt looked between them like he was missing some kind of inside joke, even though neither of them had said anything. 

“Someone’s after you.” Ryan said simply. It was weird seeing a bare skull form words clearly.

“I got that.” Jeremy replied. He hadn’t realised it, but he was standing slightly in front of Matt in an almost protective gesture. 

“Come on, we’ve got to get you somewhere safe.” Ryan said, tucking his skeletal hands into his pockets. 

“Matt comes with.” Jeremy said, laying down his terms immediately. Gavin’s stood up and frowned at him from behind his gold sunglasses. 

“Of course.” Gavin promised. “But right now we need to get your two out of here, there’s three more guys waiting for you.” 

“Let’s go then.” Matt said, looking particularly unsurprised at this turn of events. Jeremy reached out towards him as they followed Gavin and Ryan out the cinema. No one seemed to notice either of the Gods, but a few people glanced in their direction, instead looking at Matt and Jeremy walking together. (That wasn’t anything unusual).  

The car that was outside and waiting for them was different to the one that Geoff had used to drive Jeremy back to his apartment building. It was a bit boxy but still looked as flashy as the other. 

Matt climbed into the back seat first and Jeremy followed hesitantly. He felt that maybe they should be a bit more wary about immediately trusting a group of people he met earlier that week. But Jeremy trusted Matt and obviously Matt had some faith in these people, and that would have to be good enough for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only 4 more chapters until I get to the one that I really like and can't wait to share with you :P


	4. The Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayy it's another chapter! And a long one to make up for the last chapter being short :D

Gavin and Ryan opened the door to the apartment and lead Matt and Jeremy inside.

The apartment looked different that it did earlier. More… homely, somehow. The rest of the Gods looked up when they entered and immediately, Matt and Jeremy had a small crowd.

“What happened?” Ray asked, stepping aside absently to let Ryan get passed. Jeremy couldn’t help but notice what a wide berth Ryan was giving them.

“ _It_ happened.” Gavin said, taking his sunglasses off and hanging them on his shirt collar. “They almost got Jeremy.”

“ _Shit_.” Michael swore.

“Are you alright Jeremy?” Geoff asked, looking surprisingly concerned in that moment.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Jeremy said. “Matt knocked the guy out before he could do anything.”

Ray and Michael looked at Matt with new respect at that. Maybe they just didn’t expect someone mortal to be able to intervene. Geoff cleared his throat and the new arrivals all looked at him.

Almost instantly, Michael and Ray dragged Jeremy into a conversation, wanting to know everything about what had happened. Matt watched for a moment, suddenly incredibly unsure about what to do.

“Hey, can I have a word?” Geoff asked, tapping Matt on the shoulder. He looked at Geoff and just nodded once.

“Sure.” Matt said, following Geoff down the hallway into a room that had the windows blocked out and maps of the city pasted on the walls. Scribbles and words were littering the maps in various hands, some saying jokes, while others contributed to the other scribbles and lines.

A large table faced the biggest map and a collection of chairs surrounded it. A woman with curly red hair that was pinned back in a messy plait (and the brightest Hawaiian shirt Matt had ever seen) was sat in one of the chairs, scrolling through something on a tablet in her hands. Geoff shut the door behind them and walked around the table to where Jack was.

“So, does Jeremy know?” Geoff asked, sitting in the fanciest looking chair that was next to Jack’s. He nodded towards a chair and Matt sat down, resting his forearms on the table.

“No. Not yet.” Matt admitted. “But- Something’s not right.”

“What do you mean?” Geoff asked, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. Jack frowned and locked the tablet, giving the two men her full attention. Her light blue eyes grew a little stormy with worry. A thin chain was around her neck and feathers of all sizes and colours hung from them like trophies.

“I can’t… _See_ as well lately.” Matt said, hesitantly. “Everything’s... pretty fuzzy. It used to be clear and detailed, but not recently.”

“So are you telling us that you can’t See anymore? At least not reliably?” Geoff asked. His fingers were laced together and pressed against his mouth. He looked concerned and Matt had no impression that it was about his abilities soly. His earth eyes were warm and open.

“Kind of. I can still See, just not as accurately as I could. Before, I knew everything that would happen before and after the event, but now I just know _some_ things could happen at _some_ point. It’s like something’s changing the odds of the future rapidly.” Matt explained, absently picking at his fingernails.

“Well, you managed to warn us about Jeremy today.” Jack said comfortingly.

“But I didn’t know _when_ it was going to happen, I just knew _what_.” Matt said. “And there’s something else.”

“What?” Geoff asked, frowning in concern.

“Someone’s going to take Jeremy. You’ll tell the Lads they are forbidden to go after him. They will try to go after him anyway, but they won’t know where to go so they’ll go to…  Ryan, I think. Ryan tells them that if they’re going to go find Jeremy, then they have to do it together, and that running into this will only get him killed. The Lads go anyway, and…” Matt trailed off, staring at his hands.

“Matt, what is it?” Jack rested her hand on his and Matt suddenly realised how often Jack had done that gesture towards him in his life.

“One person isn’t there when it’s over.” Matt said. A heavy silence settled over them for a while. Everyone in that room knew that Matt’s success rate with predictions was scarily high.

“Can you See who?” Geoff asked. Matt shook his head.

“No. All I can See is three people standing when it’s all over. I can’t See anyone else.” Matt said, frowning like he was searching his memory for something.

Geoff stood up suddenly, snapping Matt out of his thoughts. If he didn’t know him, Geoff would have been stupidly intimidating in his sharp, tailored suit, tattoos and the two small rings hanging from his right ear lobe that each had a small silver leaf hanging from it. But Matt knew better, and he knew that Geoff was nurturing just like the Earth when unprovoked, that he should only be feared when he was in danger.

“I guess this means that we can’t leave you two unprotected for a while. Or at least train Jeremy up a little bit so that he’s not a sitting duck.” Geoff said. Matt nodded solemnly.

“Don’t tell Jeremy about this yet, okay.” Matt half-asked. “I think if he should hear it from anyone, he should hear it from me.”

“No problem, buddy. We’ll go by your rules.” Geoff promised, while Jack said a few words of agreement. Matt was always surprised at how much slack they gave him. He always supposed that they just valued a glimpse at the future. But recently, he wondered if they’d just grown fond of their mortal Oracle.

Jack’s tablet pinged and she quickly checked the notification. Matt was always surprised at how these millennia-old gods were as fluent with technology as he was. Her eyes were lighter now, a clear summer rather than an imminent downpour.

“Ryan’s on his way back.” Jack announced, locking the tablet again and placing it on the table again. She looked up and focused on Matt. “So, how are we going to do this? Do you guys want to stay in our guest room or do you want guards at your own place?” She asked.

“I guess I’ll have to ask Jeremy first.” Matt admitted.

“Then do you want to go talk to him while we tell the rest what’s going on?” Geoff asked, leaning on the table by where Matt was. Matt nodded and stood up, his hands feeling disproportionately damp.

He didn’t know why he was so nervous; maybe it had something to do with the fact that he hadn’t told Jeremy about his premonitions and the longer they were there, the more chance there was of it coming out. Then again, it would be in Jeremy’s best interest to be around people of his kind of status and power.

Geoff gently clapped him on the shoulder and lead him back into the main space of the apartment. Jack trailed behind them, holding the tablet under her arm. Jeremy was sat with the three youngest Gods on the sofas, obviously engaged in some kind of thrilling story is Michael’s grand gestures and Gavin’s silent laughter was anything to go by. Ray was helping Michael tell the tale, though less enthusiastic, and sometimes correcting Michael on some details. Jeremy was laughing hard and Matt thought it was cute how well he was getting on with these people already.

“Alright, listen up cocksuckers.” Geoff said, stopping the story in its tracks. The other Gods all shut up and watched as Geoff took up a position standing in the middle of the sofa congregation. Jack tapped Matt on the shoulder and he followed her to the sofas, taking a seat beside Jeremy. Jeremy’s fingers gently touched Matt’s, not too sure if it was okay to do more in this unfamiliar situation.

Jack sat on the other side of Michael, crossing her legs and looking cool, collected and professional (though Matt had been in contact with Geoff and Jack long enough to know that was more of an act than she would let on).

“What’s going on, Geoff?” Michael asked.

“We’ll know for sure when Ryan gets back.” Geoff said. At that moment, the door opened and the God of Death walked in, shrugging off his black and blue leather jacket and hanging it up on a hook.

“ _S_ _peak of the Devil_.” Gavin muttered under his breath.

“Hey,” Ryan greeted, going and standing beside Geoff in front of all the others.  “So the guy who tried to attack Jeremy has some buddies and right now they’re staking out their apartment building.”

“But how do they know where we live?” Jeremy asked, more confused than concerned. Did he think they had lived off the grid? Or was Jeremy just unaware of how valuable he was now?

“You’re not exactly hard to track down,” Gavin chipped in. “I mean, you have your phones on you right now, they probably hacked those or used them to get your location.”

“Is that what you did?” Matt asked. He saw the small look Geoff gave him and chose to ignore it. He wanted to keep his little secret as much as possible.

“In a way.” Geoff said slowly.

“So what? We can’t go back to our apartment?” Jeremy said.

“I guess not.” Geoff ran his hands over his face and he looked tired for a moment. This was probably one of the worst case scenarios in his mind. Well not _worst_. Just the most inconvenient. (Or the most foreboding).

“You two can stay in the guest room.” Jack said, leaning forwards to look at Matt and Jeremy. Matt’s attention was momentarily drawn to one of the potted plants behind one of the sofas. He watched as a few of the leaves browned ever so slightly and he could feel Geoff was connected to it.

“I want the rest of you to stay here as well until we figure out what to do.” Geoff said. If he expected any resistance or protest, he didn’t get it. “That means you too, Ryan.”

“Are you sure you want me here?” Ryan asked. Matt had the weirdest feeling that the silent conversation between Geoff and Ryan involved _him_ more than it did Jeremy. It took a moment but Ryan relented. “Okay.”

“Good.” Geoff plucked at the sleeve of his suit jacket and collected himself. “Then it’s settled.”

“Come on, I’ll show you to the guest room.” Jack said, nodding towards the same hallway Geoff had led Matt down earlier.

The guest room turned out to be opposite the room Matt had talked to Geoff and Jack in. It was pretty big with a king-sized bed and it could give most of the hotels either of them had stayed in a run for their money.

“Feel free to anything in the kitchen if you get hungry,” Jack said, standing inside the room as Matt and Jeremy looked around. “Booze is universal, except the stuff with a pink ribbon tied around it. That’s Geoff’s. There’s some clothes you can borrow in the dresser. Beside the front door, there’s some shallow stairs; go down them and you’ll find all our bedrooms if you need us. Geoff and I are the first door on the right.”

“Thanks, for everything.” Jeremy said, sincerely.

“It’s okay; we’ve got to look out for each other, right?” Jack said, giving Matt a small, knowing look, but she smiled nonetheless. “Well, goodnight ya’ll. See you in the morning.”

Jack shut the door behind her and the two of them wordlessly stripped down and slid into bed. Jeremy settled against Matt’s chest as he took his glasses off and laid them on the bedside table.

Matt’s hand absently wrapped around Jeremy and he felt his body grow heavier. Maybe the events of that day had affected him more than he realised. Jeremy mumbled out a goodnight and Matt just pressed a small kiss to his forehead as a reply.

Tomorrow had to be a better day, right?


	5. The Threat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update's been a while :/ but at least the story's getting somewhere now

Matt woke up early the next morning and carefully but slowly detangled himself from Jeremy. He pulled on the clothes from yesterday and slipped his glasses back on. The rest of the apartment was silent and Matt padded as quietly as he could to the front door.

It wasn’t until he was halfway home that he realised maybe he should have left a note for Jeremy or the rest of them. (Though, if everything went to plan, he would be back before they woke up.)

The sun had barely broken over the horizon and Matt guessed it was just a little after 4:30 in the morning. (He was making good time considering he was almost there). There was barely anyone out of the street and no one paid attention to Matt as he walked down the familiar streets.

Before he even got within a block of his apartment building, Matt knew that there was a car with two - no, _three_ \- people inside, watching the front door to the building. So Matt switched tracks, and he used the back door. The back door was technically a fire exit on the ground floor, but it was never unlocked and Matt opened it easy enough.

The first thing he did was go up to his apartment. The door was unmarked and his key still worked so Matt just busied himself with pulling together what they would vitally need. Clothes, chargers, his laptop, some of Jeremy’s small luxuries (mostly some video games and cologne), a bag filled with enough hormones to last him a while.

Matt hesitated for a moment before he grabbed the oldest book he owned and stuffed it into the backpack he had put everything else into. It was a book that his grandmother had given when he was a child. It only told of old legends and mythos and over the years, Matt had clogged the pages with post-it notes and highlighted passages and messy print in blue ink in the margins to the point where it was scruffy and unrecognisable as the book he had been gifted.

When it got to just past 5:15, Matt turned off all the lights in the apartment and grabbed the backpack and laptop case, securing both of them to his body.

On the way down, Matt stopped by to check their mail. There wasn’t anything of note and Matt adjusted his jacket before he went to leave by the back door again. Or he would have if his neighbour hadn’t caught sight of him.

“Oh hello, dear.” His neighbour in question was an elderly old woman called Margaret who lived on his floor and occasionally stopped by and gave them gifts of baked goods. She was definitely the best neighbour Matt had ever had and he was convinced that the ‘ _friend_ ’ she lived with, Janice, was actually her partner. (Not that Matt could judge).

“Hi Maggie.” Matt said warmly.

“Going somewhere nice?” Margaret asked, nodding towards his bags as she collected her own post. She was always surprisingly active for a woman her age and Matt admired her for it.

“Just staying with some friends for a while.” Matt said smoothly, feeling bad about not telling the whole truth to such a sweet old woman.

“Relationship problems, dear?” Margaret asked, looking at him sympathetically. “We’ve all been there…”

“Oh, not like that.” Matt assured her quickly. “I just came back to get some stuff we forgot.”

“Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, my door’s always open. and I always have those cookies that your Jeremy likes.” Margaret said, taking the post from her box and locking it afterwards. Matt smiled at the offer.

“Thanks Maggie. We’ll keep that in mind.” Matt promised.

“Alright, dear. I won’t keep you any longer. Have fun staying with your friends.” Margaret bid, going back towards the lift and Matt disappeared to exit by the back door again.

The streets were only a little bit busier than they had been, but Matt still kept his head down and walked quickly, occasionally taking out his phone to check the time.

Maybe if Matt had been paying a bit more attention to his gut feelings, or the images his brain was trying to show him, and not so locked in his own head, he would have noticed the footsteps that were creeping up on him.

A hand covered Matt’s mouth and another grabbed his jacket to pull him into a side alley, pushing him front first against the brick wall of a building. His assailant was wearing a mask and standing slightly to the side so Matt couldn’t see what they looked like or even see them much at all. He saw a flash of metal out of the corner of his eye.

The attacker kept one hand over Matt’s mouth but leaned in close enough so he was forced to look at the mask out of the corner of his eye.

“Where is he?” The mask demanded, raising the knife so Matt could see that it was hovering around his exposed neck. The mask lowered his hand just enough for Matt to reply.

“I don’t know wh-”

“Bullshit. You know where he is. The new one.” The mask repeated, shoving Matt against the wall again and brandishing the knife closer.

“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about.” Matt repeated, genuine fear creeping up on him.

“Stop playing games with me.” The knife rested against Matt’s neck and he barely breathed. “We saw you with him.”

“Wait, are you talking about this short guy who looks like a tank?” Matt asked. The perfect half-truth formed in his mind and he knew he had to just run with it. “He’s my roommate. He moved in last year, and he seemed pretty normal, but a few days ago he left and he didn’t come back. He hasn’t called or texted since. He just disappeared.”

The mask was silent for a moment and Matt just _hoped_ that he bought it.

“You expect me to believe that garbage?”

Sometimes Matt didn’t know why he still felt optimism.

Why couldn’t he just lie?

He screwed his eyes shut as he felt the knife press a little more into his skin. The sound of material rustling got Matt’s attention and barely a heartbeat later, Matt had to watch as a skeletal hand covered his attacker’s face and their eyes roll back into their head.  

Another hand helped guide the dead body away from Matt’s horrified stare as he stumbled backwards in horror. He looked up and saw Ryan’s familiar skull watching him. Somehow, without conventional means of emotion, Ryan looked both pissed off and relieved all at once.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked, taking a half-step back from Matt. Matt saw him slip on a pair of gloves as inconspicuously as he could. They must have been tailored to fit a bit better on the thin bones of his hand because they didn't hang off as much as they should have.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Matt said, wiping at the incredibly small cut he had acquired. Though, from the amount of blood on his fingers afterwards, Matt had probably had worse paper cuts.

“Alright then,” Ryan said, gesturing to a car that he had probably used to track him down. Matt obediently got into the passenger seat, putting his backpack and laptop case in the back seat as he did so.

Matt stayed quiet as Ryan drove, until Ryan broke the silence.

“Why did you go back there? I told you that it was being monitored.” Ryan asked, driving recklessly through the streets.  

“I figured they were only looking out for Jeremy. Plus we needed some stuff.” Matt said. He imagined that if Ryan had skin and eyebrows, he would have raised one of them in scepticism.

“Like what?”

“Clothes.” Matt said immediately. “And I also needed my laptop.”

“Well, you could have got one of us to do that. Or at least let us come with.” Ryan said, his voice a bit testy.  

“How did you know I was even gone?” Matt asked, changing the subject. “I thought everyone was asleep.”

“I _heard_ you. I wasn’t asleep.” Ryan didn’t offer much more than that, so Matt let the silence between them grow. Ryan’s skeletal knuckles tightened on the steering wheel and “Just- Next time you sneak out, take one of us with you. These guys are dangerous, and we don’t need you being a target as well.”

“Alright, I get it.” Matt said, staring out the window as they drove.

“By the way, what’s so important on that laptop that you really needed it?” Ryan asked, driving closer to the Achieve’s apartment building.

“Work stuff.” Matt said simply.

“Yeah? What kind of work do you do?” Ryan was only making small talk, but Matt hated the awkward silence so he indulged him.

“I do freelance software design.” Matt said. Thankfully, Ryan pulled up into the garage beneath the apartment building and they both got out. Matt grabbed the bags and followed Ryan into the lift up to the top floor.

“You’re going to tell them where you were.” Ryan said, an edge of smugness in his voice.

“I know.”

“Jeremy should at least know that you were almost attacked.”

“I _know_.”

“I’m pretty sure Geoff would like to know-”

“Ryan, I get it.” Matt almost snapped. Again, without any of the necessary features, Ryan somehow seemed to look smug. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“I know.” Ryan said, just as the lift doors opened. Matt followed him out and waited patiently for Ryan to unlock the door for them.

Geoff and Jack were already awake and they both looked up as Ryan walked in, closely followed by Matt. They were both sat at the breakfast bar in the open plan kitchen and they both had mugs in their hands with funny or ironic graphics printed on them.

“Where have you guys been?” Geoff asked, looking at them over his mug of coffee.

“I went to go pick up some stuff and Ryan came with me.” Matt said. The half-lie sounded so natural that Ryan shot him a look of surprise.

“He did?” Jack asked, glancing at the God of Death and Matt was afraid for a second that she saw through the lie. “What did you need? We could have picked it up for you.” Jack asked, taking a bite out of the toasted bagel she had in front of her. Matt refused to breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Just some clothes and medication. Really it was nothing big.” Matt said, brushing off the concern easily.

“Okay well, I’m glad you’re both back in one piece.” Geoff said brightly. “I don’t think the others are awake so you can probably get some more sleep if you want.”

Matt nodded and headed off to the guest room, adjusting his grip on the backpack as he went. Jeremy was still asleep when Matt walked into the room, so he shrugged off his bags as silently as he could and slipped back under the sheets. Jeremy stirred just the smallest bit as Matt settled into the bed and didn’t even open his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Matt’s middle to hold him close.

“Where’d you go?” Jeremy mumbled into the other man’s shirt.

“I just went to get some of our stuff.” Matt said, honestly.

“You got your hormones?” Jeremy asked, lazily opening a single eye to look at Matt.

“Yeah. I also got some of your stuff.”

“Fucking sweet bro.” Jeremy managed to mumble out before his eyes slipped shut. Matt just smiled and settled down again, letting himself get a bit more sleep.

 

Jack looked at Geoff and waited until Matt was well out of earshot before speaking.

“He was lying, wasn’t he?” She asked, looking between Geoff and Ryan.

“Yep.” Geoff said, drinking another little bit of his coffee. “Anything bad happen, Rye?” He turned his gaze to Ryan.

“The apartment was still being watched. Matt was smart by using the back entrance to the apartment building but one of them followed him and tried to attack him.” Ryan relayed.

“The attacker?” Jack asked, holding her mug between her hands now that she had finished her bagel.

“Mysterious heart attack.” Ryan answered without any sign of remorse. Geoff nodded solemnly. “Why do you think he went back?”

“Probably for something important.” Jack said honestly. She spoke as if she didn’t know, but Ryan seemed to buy it and the subject was dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent five minutes thinking up the perfect 'friendly elderly lady neighbour' name and Margaret was what I settled on


	6. The Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally submitted a technical report that I've been stressing over for literal _weeks_ today so I'm celebrating finally being able to sleep peacefully :DD

“So, how do you feel about learning self defence?” Michael asked, sitting on the coffee table opposite where Jeremy and Matt were sat. It had been two days since Matt and Jeremy had been crashing in the apartment.

“You think we need it?” Jeremy said as Matt tilted the screen down a little.

“Hell yeah! You guys could be targets, and you’ll need to know how to take care of yourself.” Michael said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  Jeremy glanced at Matt but in the end he just shrugged.

“Sure. Beats going to the gym.” Jeremy joked.

“Great, let’s head out.” Michael said, standing up. “You too, Matt.”

“What?”

“You need to learn self-defense too.” Michael said, ignoring the look on Matt’s face and instead choosing to pull on his jacket.

 

Michael had taken them to a private gym on the edge of the city and they were stood in the middle of a large spread of matts on the floor. Ray had joined them about ten minutes after they arrived and he still had his shorts and hoodie on.

“Alright, ready?” Michael asked, stretching his arm muscles.

“Nope.” Matt deadpanned.

“Tough shit.” Ray said, smugly.

“Jeremy, you’re working with me. Matt, Ray’ll teach you how to not get shanked.” Michael said with an air of authority that usually wasn't present.

Ray finally pulled off his hoodie and dumped it on the floor somewhere before he turned and sized up Matt.

(Matt pretended that he didn’t notice the lean muscle that Ray had kept hidden under his baggy clothes.)

“Okay, first thing first: blocking.” Ray said, matter of factly.

He spent the next ten minutes demonstrating ways Matt could twist his body to potentially block incoming punches, and then correcting Matt’s stance and posture. Ray would ‘ _test_ ’ Matt’s ability to block something by inspecting the pose and then throwing a few punches to see if Matt could move between positions fast enough. His punches were never hard but enough to get the message across when Matt wasn’t quite sturdy enough.

Only when Ray was satisfied that Matt could protect himself against a couple punches that he decided it was time to move on. Ray walked over to a bag he had brought and pulled out a small handgun from it. He immediately released the magazine and tossed it back into his bag, leaving the harmless shell of a gun in his hands.

Ray walked back to Matt and held it out to him.

“I’m going to show you how to take someone’s gun from them, hopefully without being shot in the process.” Ray said, as Matt very hesitantly took the gun from him. It wasn't like he didn't know his way around a gun (it was Los Santos for _fucks_ sake), it was just that Matt had Seen too many deaths in his lifetime caused by guns that now he was too wary of them. He didn’t even like the small handgun Jeremy kept hidden in their apartment.

“Now aim the gun at me.” Ray prompted, reading Matt’s face scarily well. “It’s okay, there’s no bullets in it and you can't hurt me anyway.”

Matt lifted his arms and waited for Ray to do something. He didn't wait long before he saw Ray shift ever so slightly and suddenly, Matt was staring down the barrel of the gun he just had in his hands.

Ray pretended to pull the trigger and cocked the nozzle up out of Matt’s face. He had an almost cocky smile on his face, too.

“ _Bang_.” Ray said. “Now you’re dead.”  He turned the gun around and held out the handle of the gun towards Matt. Matt reached out and took the gun, shifting his grip to make it a bit more comfortable.

“So what do I do now?” Matt asked, keeping the empty gun pointed at the floor.

“I’m going to take the gun from you again and I want you to watch what I do.” Ray said. Matt nodded and raised the gun again, pointing it at Ray. This time, Ray made his movements slower and demonstrated the process of taking the gun from Matt’s hand and pointing it back at him. He raised the empty gun up and took a step back to aim back at Matt, a small smile on his face. “Got it?”

“I think.” Matt admitted.

“Great.” Ray said, slightly changing his stance. “Now try and get the gun from me.”

The next hour was almost excruciating for Matt as he worked through the steps repeatedly: breaking Ray’s grip on the gun repeatedly, taking the gun for himself repeatedly. Being told to do it again, repeatedly.

Ray occasionally switched it up; he tried to fight back a few times and forced Matt to try harder to break his grip, he tried to duck out the way a couple times, one time he tried to retaliate and attack Matt in return (and very nearly hit him in the head with the butt of the gun).

It was just stimulating enough so that Matt had to keep focused but tiring enough so that Matt wanted to quit. But the more he practiced, the more Matt began to understand the pattern and the faster he became. It was always a strange feeling: feeling the sensation of learning a new skill.

“You two done over there?” Michael asked, waiting until Matt had reclaimed the gun to speak.

“Just about.” Ray said, stepping away and taking the gun from Matt. He stowed it in the bag he got it from and pulled his hoodie over his head. He strung the bag strap over his chest and started walking towards Michael. “You did good, Matt.” Ray said quietly as he walked past. Matt wasn’t sure if he should feel as proud of that as he did.

Ray stopped beside Michael and murmured a few words to him. Michael nodded and Matt thought he saw Michael’s eyes glance towards him. He said a few quiet words back to Ray, who became weirdly still. (It wasn’t a drastic change, and Matt wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t been looking for it).

“Alright.” Michael said, looking between the two newcomers. “Let’s get you guys back to the apartment.”

“We’re done?” Jeremy asked, wiping his nose as inconspicuously as he could. But Matt saw the small trail of blood on Jeremy’s hand.

“We are for today.” Ray said, pulling his bag over his head and across his chest securely.

“Are we going to do this again then?” Matt asked, standing at attention. He secretly hoped the answer was no.  

“You think you can defend yourself already?” Michael asked, a cocky smile on his face. “You’re either ballsy as fuck or you don’t know just how many ways someone can pull a gun on you.”

“What? Brave’s not an option?” Jeremy asked, mirroring Michael’s cockiness in his posture. Even though he’d just had the shit beaten out of him _repeatedly_ , Jeremy was determined to prove himself an equal.

And if the look on Ray’s face said anything, Jeremy succeeded.

“Not anymore there’s not.” Michael said, clapping both of them on the back as he walked past them to the door. “People aren’t brave. Sometimes, they’re just powerful.”

“But-” Jeremy began to protested, but he was cut off.

“Look,” Ray said, stepping up to them casually. “Bravery is what we call stupid people with no sense of self-preservation.” He left the room, following Michael and only Matt and Jeremy were left.

Without a word, Jeremy’s hand found Matt’s and they stood like that for a moment.

“I guess this is our life now.” Matt said, breaking the silence. Jeremy shrugged but Matt knew he was just as worried.

“I guess it beats being defenseless and hunted.”

“ _HURRY UP, ASSHOLES_!” Michael’s loud voice shocked them into action and they left the room. Matt was the one to pull his hand out of Jeremy’s just before they caught up to Michael and Ray. Jeremy wished he hadn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is strangely poetic in a way...


	7. The Accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today has been a good day :D
> 
> I finished this massive project that I've been working on since October, and now I sudden;y have _so much free time_  
>  so obviously, I wanted to update this fic with the chapter I have been _dying_ to share...
> 
> This is the chapter where the fic gets it Mature rating...  
> you've been warned

Jeremy slid into their shared bed and sidled up to Matt, distracting him from whatever passage he was reading in the one book he brought with them. Matt looked down at him and smiled, using his thumb as a bookmark.

“Which bit are you reading?” Jeremy asked, looking down at the book. He’d never read it, but he knew Matt studied it religiously. Sometimes, Matt would read out passages to him as if he was looking for a second opinion. Matt opened the book again and found the passage he was looking at.

“ _Conceived of the Earth and the Sky, Life itself was never bound to the simple desires of it’s creations. Life, however, is still driven by the basic human fears and wants. Only Death could rival Life and the two often clashed. Life would claim greater over the living, while knowing but never admitting that Death was just as valued._ ” Matt read out, looking at Jeremy when he finished.

“So what does that mean?”

“So far, all I’ve got is Death is humble and bickers a lot with Life.” Matt admitted, dog-earring the page and putting the book down on the bedside table.

“Sounds about right.” Jeremy said as he took Matt’s glasses off his face and kissed him gently. He leaned over and placed the glasses on his own bedside table when he pulled away. “Let’s get some sleep.” Jeremy said.

They shifted so they were lying down on the bed and Matt leaned over to turn the lamp off, plunging them into darkness.

Jeremy lifted his head enough for Matt’s arm to loop under it and Matt felt the familiar weight of Jeremy’s arm across his chest.

“Hey Matt,” Jeremy whispered in the dark, turning his head so he was in Jeremy’s direction.

“Yeah?”

“I kinda have something to tell you.” Jeremy admitted, resting his head on Matt’s bicep as he did every night. “I only found this out about two days ago, but…”

“So, you’re a God?” Matt said, it was almost a statement, but it still had the edge of a question.

“Demigod.” Jeremy corrected. His eyes were adjusting slowly to the dark and he could almost see Matt’s expression in the dark. “How did you know?” Jeremy asked.

“Because… I can See the future.” Matt said hesitantly, cringing at how ridiculous it sounded. “Look I know it sounds crazy.”

“As crazy as finding out you're a Demigod who can communicate with animals?” Jeremy asked. He smiled and buried his face into Matt’s shoulder.

“I guess not.” Matt agreed, laughing a little. Jeremy's arm tightened around him slightly.

“So by ‘ _see into the future_ ’, how specific are we talking?” Jeremy asked, lifting his head to look at Matt properly. “Like, could-accurately-predict-the-lottery specific?”

“Pretty specific.” Matt said. “At least, I know what to do right if I wanna get laid.” He teased, grinning even though Jeremy couldn't quite see it.

“Oh yeah?” Jeremy asked, rolling onto of Matt and lifting himself up so he could look him in the eye. “Did you foresee this?”

Jeremy rested his weight on Matt and kissed him. Matt could feel his smile in the kiss and Jeremy’s hands framed his face. Matt slid his hands down Jeremy’s sides so they rested on his hips.

“No, but you're just predictable.” Matt said, smiling as he moved to plant kisses down Jeremy’s jaw and neck.

“Oh really?” Jeremy challenged, but Matt heard the way his breath hitched as Matt left light kisses on his collarbone.

“Yep.” Matt mumbled against his skin. “I know you too well.”

“Let’s see about that.” Jeremy pulled away and sat back, still straddling Matt’s hips. Matt propped himself up on his elbows and watched as Jeremy pulled his shirt off. Jeremy’s hand stroked Matt’s chest and gripped the hem of his shirt, but he didn’t move.

“You still want to do this?” Jeremy asked. Matt nodded, but he realised that Jeremy couldn't see him.

“Yeah.” Matt said. That was all the invitation Jeremy needed and he pulled Matt’s shirt off, throwing it off the side of the bed somewhere.

_Slowly_ , Jeremy lowered himself. Matt shivered at the contact of bare skin and he barely waited before he surged upwards and pulled Jeremy into a kiss. But Jeremy was determined to take it slow.

Matt’s hands curled around the Demigod’s chest, feeling all the lean muscle twitch underneath his palms. Jeremy’s hand wrapped around Matt’s wrists and pulled his hands away, flattening them against the pillows.

“Is this okay?” Jeremy asked, his lips hovering over Matt’s but never quite separating.

“ _Yes_.” Matt breathed, trying to arch upwards to keep all the contact he could. Jeremy just grinned and pulled Matt further down the mattress, pinning his hands together above his head. Matt’s hair was fanned out slightly on the sheets and Jeremy wanted to mess it up even more.

He kept Matt’s wrists together with one hand and let the other slide down Matt’s chest. His fingers traced the top surgery scars that had long since healed before they raked through Matt’s chest hair, his fingernails leaving thin white lines in their wake.

“ _God,_ I love you.” Jeremy groaned, his breaths becoming shallower as Matt kissed him deeper. It was too dark to see properly but Jeremy was almost _sure_ Matt was blushing underneath him.

“I love you too,” Matt said, his breath hitching as Jeremy’s finger dipped below the waistband of his boxers.

“You need to tell me what you want.” Jeremy said, the pads of his fingers rubbing small circles into the soft skin of Matt’s hips.

“ _You_. _Inside me_.” Matt’s voice came out at barely a whisper and that was a huge ego boost in Jeremy's books.

Jeremy released Matt’s hands and felt fingernails bite into his back as he slowly trailed kisses down Matt’s chest, stopping just below his navel. Matt’s hands gripped his hair and Jeremy made a show of slowly pulling down Matt’s boxers to his ankles.

Matt’s head hit the pillows as Jeremy sucked a tender mark on his inner thigh. His breath ghosted over his skin and Matt clenched his teeth to stop himself from either moaning or screaming Jeremy’s name when he felt lips kiss up his leg, slowly inching towards his crotch.

The door burst open and Jeremy only saw a silhouetted figure before his mind panicked. Matt pulled the sheets up to cover himself and Jeremy did the first thing that came to mind: grab Matt, practically dive off his side of the bed and hide.

Matt made a small ‘ _oof_ ’ as he hit the floor, and Jeremy wrapped his arms around the other man instinctively.

“WHATEVER YOU TWO ARE DOING CAN YOU _STOP_?” Michael’s voice shouted. “I HAD MY WINDOW OPEN AND NOW THERE ARE BIRDS _EVERYWHERE_!”

“Wait, what?” Jeremy popped his head over the top of the mattress and frowned at Michael. Matt reached up and grabbed his glasses, also frowning at Michael.

“YOU HEARD ME MOTHERFUCKER! BIRDS! _EVERYWHERE_!” Michael repeated. Something about the God seemed to glow in the same way kindling does before it lights. Jeremy stood up, and Matt saw he was only wearing his boxers at this point.

It wasn't until then that Matt realised he was practically naked under the sheets and _oh great_! There was another figure standing behind Michael in the doorway now.  

His shirt was on the floor by the wall and he quickly grabbed it, pulling it over his head and hiking his boxers up over his hips.

“Come see for yourselves, assholes.” Geoff’s voice said. Jeremy had stood up and was following the two figures out and down the hall. Matt didn't particularly want to be left alone, so he quickly followed them, running a hand through his hair while he did to try and neaten it.

Michael hadn't been exaggerating; there were birds _everywhere_.

They were all perched on every available surface and the most unnerving thing was that the moment Jeremy walked into the room, every bird turned and gazed at him.

Ray had probably been awake this whole time and was sat on the sofa, literally surrounded by birds.

“Hey Ray.” Matt said, standing beside Jeremy filled with the awkward knowledge that they had caused this.

“I feel like I'm in the middle of Gavin’s family reunion.” Ray said, looking around at all the different breeds of birds in the apartment.

“ _That’s not funny, you_ _bellend_!” Gavin’s shout was muffled by the fact that he was behind the pantry door. (They could only assume he’d gone in there to protect himself.)

“It’s kinda funny.” Michael admitted, his fury breaking for a moment.

“What are you assholes doing u-” Jack froze on the top of the shallow stairs and surveyed the living room for a quick second. “Nope. Fuck this. I'm going back to bed. See you in the morning. I'm not cooking breakfast.” Jack said, turning on her heel and disappearing back into the master bedroom.

Matt and Jeremy exchanged a look and if Matt wasn't flushed before, he was now - though for a different, unrelated reason.

“Look, Jeremy,” Geoff said, catching their attention. “Can you do something about the birds? Please?”

“I can try something.” Jeremy offered, walking over to the balcony doors and pulling one of them as far open as it would go. Matt saw Jeremy’s face fall into one of concentration and suddenly all the birds lept into the air.

The way they all spiralled and funnelled out of the apartment through the balcony door would have been beautiful if it wasn't terrifying. Sounds of flapping wings died down suddenly and Jeremy glanced back at Geoff nervously.

One small bird settled on his hand and Jeremy slowly moved so his hand so it was outside.

“You too little guy.” Jeremy cooed. The bird hopped on the back of his hand for a second before it flew out into the night sky. Michael stormed over and shut the balcony door forcefully, making sure to lock it.

“Gavin! You can come out now!” Michael shouted, walking over to the pantry and throwing the door open. He pulled Gavin out by the shirt and the Brit blinked in the sudden light.

“Bloody hell that was scary.” Gavin muttered, looking around and checking for more birds.

“Can I ask, what the fuck were you doing that made those birds show up?” Ray asked, turning in his seat to look between Matt and Jeremy.

“What do you think, Ray? They were having sex.” Michael butted in and Matt could see Jeremy’s face turn red.

“And that called all the birds?” Ray said. “They’re not Gavin, making fucking bird noises when he’s being sucked off!”

Gavin made a shout of protest that sounded just a bit _too_ much like a bird call to be taken seriously and Jeremy wasn't the only one heartily embarrassed.

“Whatever it was,” Geoff interrupted. “Can we at least make a deal so this doesn't happen again?”

“Like what?” Matt asked, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“I don't know! Give us some warning or something so we can barricade the windows.” Geoff said, too tired and disgruntled to think properly.

“We'll come up with something.” Jeremy promised, standing beside Matt and taking his hand.

“Oh no, you don't!” Gavin pointed at them accusingly, seeing the gesture and glaring at it. “I don't want any more birds in here tonight, or any other night!”

Jeremy very quickly dropped Matt’s hand and took a half-step away from the other.

“Gav, give them a break.” Geoff said, running a hand over his face. Matt noticed a thin obsidian band around his ring finger that he wasn't sure had always been there. “Being caught is punishment enough.”

“Yeah,” Matt said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “You don't have to worry about that.” He promised. Gavin continued to scrutinise Matt and he could feel Jeremy's nervous glances his way.

“Well alright then. I'm going back to bed.” Gavin declared, stalking off down the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. Michael quickly bid them goodnight and left, catching up to Gavin before they disappeared down the stairs.

Geoff didn't say a word to them before he left. He just gave them a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as he passed and went back to the master bedroom.

They let the silence stretch between them for a little while, until Matt chanced a look at Jeremy and saw him looking back. They burst into laughter and clutched each other for a moment.

“Well, that was awful.” Matt said, wiping away a tear that formed in his eye.

“Come on, let’s go back to bed.” Jeremy said, wrapping his arm around Matt’s middle. “And hey, we always have our own apartment.”

“That’s true.” Matt agreed, the last remnants of laughter fading from his system.

“And hey, I bet you didn't see this happening.” Jeremy said, beginning to lead both of them back to the guest room. Matt laughed and wrapped his own arm around Jeremy’s shoulder, holding him a bit tighter.

“You got me there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well what did you expect? actual smut?
> 
> nah
> 
> birds

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [ private-doughnut](http://private-doughnut.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to say hi


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